Original of the Species
by Hard-boiled Egg Devils
Summary: A truly touching tale for all those who want to remember how it felt when you first heard your first lull-a-bye. I have left no real ending to it, it doesn't need one. Song is 'Original of the Species' by U2.


Original of the Species

By Luna Gold

Disclaimer: Sonic the Hedgehog and all the characters in it belong to Sega.

"Original of the Species" belongs to U2.

All rights reserved.

A powerful crack of thunder filled the sky, winds blowing harshly, rain pouring in sheets, and lightning weaving intricate patterns through the night. Each bolt was as bright as a star, shining white light against the world of Mobius. One of these bolts illuminated the legendary Angel Island, the island floating in the sky. The island was full of lush, tropical rainforest, plants that had to be seen to be believed, mountains capped with the purest white snow, and in the very center of the island, a shrine. This shrine glowed green, a bright, emerald green that spread all throughout the island. Within the temple sat the source of the light; a giant emerald. The form of the emerald is flawless, it's size is massive, and the light it gives off is brilliant and soothing.

But, only a few feet from the temple, sat the only other oddity on the island; a house. The house if finely crafted, with strong support to stand against any element, and sturdy walls and ceiling to keep the elements out. The inside of the house is tastefully decorated, with many beautiful paintings of locations from around the world. Many knick-knacks covered many of the shelves, each one placed in a tastefully decorative way. The furniture is comfortable and decorative, and the decorating went on to every room in the house.

One such room is the master bedroom, where two figures are seen. The first one is female, given the curves seen under the blankets. It is difficult to tell who exactly it is under there, because the blanket was thick enough to only show a general shape, and the darkness hindered seeing her face. As lightning struck outside, the glow from the bolt illuminated the room, revealing the second figure. He is sitting up in bed, gazing peacefully at the female before him. His well sculpted body glowed in the light, as did his deep, dark red colored fur. His hair, usually worn in a series of dreadlocks, hung freely, with little regard for their condition in the morning. The white crescent mark upon his collar seemed to shine brightly as the storm receded, matching the color of the moon. His dark lavender eyes gazed lovingly at his mate, namely her swelling stomach, which held a new life in it.

This is a moment and sight he never grows tired of; these nights, sleeping with his love, seeing their child grow within her. How he loves this moment, and his wife. In the last shots of lightning, he could clearly see his beloved. Her smooth face in a content smile seemed to draw him deeper into love with her. The way her eyes shone a bright emerald green, even when her cloudy blue painted eyelids were closed. The snow white fur that covered most of her body and face greatly contrasted his fur, as it always will.

He still loves this woman, while she carried her first child, until the day they both give their last breath. If anyone asked who a perfect picture of true love is, he would always answer the same thing; "It's obvious; me and Rouge." The guardian of this island would never change his answer, for to them, it will always be true. Slowly, and gently, he slid his thumb over her delicate face. Gently rubbing her cheeks, sliding them underneath her eyes, and softly onto her lips, he is absolutely entranced by this spectacle of female perfection sleeping with him. All he wanted was to be with this woman, to love her forever, and to show her how much she means to him. One of those ways came to him, a soft, gentle kiss, upon her semi-open, beautifully petite, ruby red lips.

The light kiss stirred his love, awakening her from her dream world, to the love before her. "(quietly) Knuckles, you're still up?" "(quietly) Sorry, beloved, I just couldn't sleep." "(with a naughty smile) And you expect me to help you back to sleep?" "(throaty chuckle). As tempting as that sounds, not tonight. I'm going to go check on Rose, to make sure the storm didn't startle her." "No, Knuckles, it's my turn, (yawns) I'll handle it." "Not with our second child, you need your rest. I don't mind, really, I don't want you to exert yourself." "Oh, you really are sweet. Okay, you win. I guess I'll see you in the morning." "Of course, and I'll be cooking breakfast this time." "(deadpan) I can hardly wait." "(chuckles)."

As Knuckles walked the hallowed hallways to the nursery, he couldn't help but think of a lull-a-bye Shade kept humming towards her son. The song was a traditional echidna lull-a-bye, sung from mother to son, father to daughter, mother to daughter, and father to son. He dreaded that he may never sing this lull-a-bye, for in his past, he had no mate, and no child to sing it to. That all changed after "The Nocturlas Incident", as a certain blue friend of his would call it. He had hoped that maybe this echidna from the Nocturlas clan would be his mate, but, it was not to be. She had chosen another, and he has accepted.

But he didn't need to transgress on the past, for he has arrived to his destination in his own home, the nursery. Even in the darkness of the night, Knuckle's keen eyes could clearly see the pink walls that surrounded him, all decorated with cute chibi versions of all of his allies and friends. Countless baby toys littered the ground where he tried to walk, not wanting to cause all the toys that made sounds, about three quarters of them all, to wake his child. The mobile that hangs over a very sturdy, hand made crib swung freely, with it's seven faux crystals dangling from it. "I swear, Rouge is trying to brainwash our daughter into becoming jewel obsessed, like her" thought Knuckles as he gazed at the small figure that rested quietly in the crib. Nestled soundly in the crib was what could only be described as "one of the rarest wonders ever seen on Mobius."

The tiny child was no larger than a loaf of bread, with bright pink fur covering her visible face. A tan muzzle contrasted her fur color, as did the small, white crescent mark on her left cheek. Her large, bat ears began to quiver, as did the tiny pair of wings on her back. Her hands were covered with a pair of tiny pink mittens, and she was dressed in a pink baby gown. Soon, she began to stir, possibly from the little dream she is having, giving Knuckles a smile upon his face. This tiny thing that lay before him could rival her mother in beauty, in about 20 years though, if he'd allow a boy to admit it.

Suddenly, the child began to cry, a painful cry that came only from a nightmare. Knuckles gently picked up his daughter, looked her deep in the eyes that gave the child her namesake, and gently rocked the child back to sleep. All the while, he was whispering calming reminders to her, trying to silence her, as to not wake Rouge. "(whispers) Shh, there, there Rose, I'm here, Daddy's here, and he's going to take care of you. (Sigh). You know, before you were born, I always wanted a son, someone who would take my place as guardian of the Master Emerald. It would have made me proud, knowing that I won't be the last echidna to bare such a heavy load. But, when you were born, my priorities changed. Now, I can't think of anything else but you, Rose. You are more important than the Emerald, you are more important than this island, heck, you're more important than my desire for a son. Hopefully, though, this new baby your mother and I are going to have will be your baby brother, and I will finally have a heir to my title. I only pray that you take after your mother, cause I don't want you to end up like I did." Rose has quit her crying, feeling the comfort of her father all around her. "You know, I was taught a song by one of your aunts, she's an echidna like me, but I didn't love her. If I loved her, you wouldn't be born, and I wouldn't have the perfect life I have now. If you want, I can sing it to you, to help you sleep." Rose cooed, not fully understanding what her father said, but in recognition of the emotion in those words. "(chuckles). I'll take that as a yes."

"_Baby slow down"_

"_The end is not as fun as the start"_

"_Please stay a child somewhere in your heart"_

"_I'll give you everything you want"_

"_Except the thing that you want"_

"_You are the first one of your kind"_

"_And you feel like no-one before"_

"_You steal right under my door"_

"_And I kneel 'cause I want you some more"_

"_I want the lot of what you got"_

"_And I want nothing that you're not"_

"_Everywhere you go you shout it"_

"_You don't have to be shy about it"_

"_Some things you shouldn't get too good at"_

_"Like smiling, crying and celebrity"_

"_Some people got way too much confidence baby"_

"_baby"_

"_I'll give you everything that you want"_

"_Except the thing that you want"_

"_You are the first one of your kind"_

"_And you feel like no-one before"_

"_You steal right under my door"_

"_I kneel 'cause I want you some more"_

"_I want the lot of what you got"_

"_And I want nothing that you're not"_

"_Everywhere you go you shout it"_

"_You don't have to be shy about it, no"_

"_Oh, no no no no no"_

"_And you'll never be alone"_

"_Do-do, do-do, do-do, do-do, do-do, do-do, do-do, do-do"_

"_Sugar, come on show your soul"_

"_You've been keeping your love under control"_

"_Everywhere you go you shout it"_

"_You don't have to be shy about it"_

"_Everywhere you go you shout it"_

"_Bye-bye, oh my my"_

"_And you feel like no-one before"_

"_You steal right under my door"_

"_I kneel 'cause I want you some more"_

"_Yeah, I want you some more, I want you some more"_

"_Oh-no, oh-no, oh-no, oh-no"_


End file.
